Ben Simmons’ Debut With The Brooklyn Nets Is Still Several Weeks Away

While Kevin Durant is set to make his return to the Brooklyn Nets Thursday night against the Miami, Heat, it appears Ben Simmons’ debut with the team is still several weeks away.

Nets GM Sean Marks provided an update on Simmons’ health Thursday on the YES Network.

“Unfortunately, his back stiffness has delayed his ability to get on the court with his teammates, so he’s been rehabbing this last sort of week to 10 days,” Marks said. “And then now he’ll progress throughout this week with some individual workouts and then hopefully by the end of next week he’s getting more into the team environment and then we can really ramp up and start him getting into game shape and so forth.

“Although there’s no real timetable, we’ve got to take it day by day and see how he responds, and hopefully the sooner, the better. We’ve got to get this group together and get minutes together on the court.”

The 6-foot-10 Simmons hasn’t played all season due to mental health issues and was dealt to the Nets in the blockbuster James Harden trade three weeks ago — on Feb. 10.

Harden has been thriving for the Sixers alongside MVP favorite Joel Embiid while leading them to a 3-0 record. In a 123-108 victory over the Knicks on Wednesday, Harden had 26 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

The Sixers play nine of their next 10 games against playoff teams and will host the Nets March 10, yet there it appears unlikely Simmons will play in that game given Marks’ timetable. After the trade, Simmons said he hoped to be ready for that game.

The Nets (32-31) have just 19 games remaining and are the No. 8 seed in the East. They will only have Kyrie Irving for seven games because he’s unvaccinated.

“I know a lot of fans that are watching us had high expectations for us coming into the season and expected us to run away with the championship,” Durant said Thursday. “If you’re a fan and you appreciate Nets basketball and what we’re trying to build, you’ll follow us along this journey.”

Still, he conceded the Nets are “cutting it close” with the timetable of trying to integrate Simmons and the other new players with fewer than 20 games left.

“That’s the situation we’re in, that’s the circumstances we’re in, so what? We gotta go out there and figure it out,” Durant said.